Sandi Ashlock: How Gluten and modern food processing contribute to poor health

Posted:
07/12/2016 12:34:24 PM MDT

Sandi Ashlock

According to Dr. Mercola, the benefits of a gluten-free diet have become widely recognized, its popularity fueled by celebrity endorsements and an increasing number of books. The list includes the New York Times Best Seller Grain Brain, written by Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist, in which he reveals how processed grains can trigger neurological dysfunction and worsen dementia, and Dr Mercola's own book The No-Grain Diet, published 13 years ago, recommends eliminating gluten as a first line intervention before going any further to fine-tune a patient's diet.

For those with celiac disease, a severe gastrointestinal reaction to gluten, a gluten free diet is vital. But physicians are also starting to recognize that many have some level of gluten intolerance or sensitivity, and feel better on a gluten free diet even if they don't have celiac disease.

First, what is gluten? Gluten is a protein made up of glutenin and gliadin molecules, which in the presence of water form an elastic bond. Gluten is most commonly found in wheat, rye and barley. However, other grains such as oats and spelt also contain gluten, and gluten can be found in countless processed foods without being labeled as such. For example, gluten can hide under a variety of labels, including the following, malts, starches, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), Texturized vegetable protein (TVP) and Natural flavoring. The word "gluten" comes from the Latin word for glue, and its adhesive properties hold bread and cake together. Those same binding properties also interfere with the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, including the nutrients from other foods in the same meal.

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The result can be likened to a glued together constipating lump in your gut, which can impede proper digestion. The undigested gluten then triggers your immune system to attack the lining of your small intestine, which can cause symptoms like diarrhea or constipation, nausea and abdominal pain. Over time, your small intestine becomes increasingly damaged and inflamed. This is turn can lead to malabsorption of nutrients and nutrient deficiencies, anemia, osteoporosis and other health problems.

Wheat is one of the most widely grown crops in the Western world. But the wheat of today is very different from the wheat our ancestors grew and ate. This is likely part of the explanation as to why celiac disease and gluten intolerance have risen four-fold since the 1950s.Some believe the sharp increase is merely a sign of improved diagnosis, but research suggests the rise in prevalence is real, and that dramatic changes in the diet play a distinct role.

The proportion of gluten protein in wheat has increased enormously as a result of hybridization. Until the 19th century, wheat was also usually mixed with other grains, beans and nuts; pure wheat flour has been milled into refined white flour only during the last 200 years. The resulting high-gluten, refined grain diet most of you have eaten since infancy was simply not part of the diet of previous generations.

While the question of whether gluten should be avoided by everyone is a controversial one, it is quite clear that today's wheat is far riskier then the wheat of bygone days and that is causes problems for many. Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), believes the recent rise in celiac disease is related to the use of glyphosate. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world and an active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup has been shown to severely damage your gut flora and cause chronic diseases rooted in gut dysfunction. It is actually patented as an antibiotic. Min March 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), determined glyphosate is also a "probable carcinogen" (Class 2A). Their determination was based on limited evidence showing it can cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer in humans, along with convincing evidence it can causes cancer in animals.

Glyphosate appears to attach to the gliadin as a consequence of a chemical reaction, and by interfering with the protein connections, glyphosate makes the wheat highly indigestible - more than it already is - and more likely to cause an immune reaction and gut troubles.

There is a blood test that can verify whether or not you actually have celiac disease, but is not as accurate as one would like. If you suspect that you may have a gluten sensitivity simply switch to a gluten free diet for 7 to 10 days and see if you feel better. You will know within two weeks if gluten is the problem. Read all labels, gluten is everywhere in prepared packaged food!

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